Piazza Navona

BUON NATALE & BUON 2008!!!!

Piazza Navona is arguably Rome's greatest square
The spot was originally a stadium built by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD.
Athletes competed here in honor of Jupiter and you can still visit the ruins under street level.

Christmas is the best moment to visit Piazza Navona!!

For the whole of December until the 6th January of the following year, you can purchase the whole range of Roman festive items!
Sweets, candies, chestnuts, sugared apples (la mela stregata!), the famous torrone, liquorice and much more.
The Befana arrives on the 6th January.
This is the day those children who have broken their promises or behaved naughtily receive a present of coal in a stocking, beware even if you are not a child anymore…….!!!!!!!

Look at the video and......Benvenuti al Natale di Piazza Navona!

Il Lupercale

The legend is now history.

The most famous place of the myth of the history of Rome, searched for centuries, appeared. The “lupercale”, or the place where the wolf would suck the twins Romulus and Remus, has been founded close to the walls of the Augustus’ home, in a valley at the slopes of the Palatine hill, in a never explored site between the Temple of Apollo and the Church of Santa Anastasia, 16 meters below the ground.

The structure, with a shape like a nymphaeum, seems to be a cave partly natural and partly artificial, about 9 meters high and with a diameter of 7.5 meters.

The micro camera showed a decorated caisson with geometric forms (not figurative) made in mosaic tiles and polychrome marble, further enhanced by rows of white shells and by the white eagle of Augusto placet in the center of the vault.
It seems that, the Emperor Augusto, built up his dwelling in that place to attach his villa to a so highly symbolic place of the history of Rome.

All happened the 21 november 2007

Piazza Campo dei Fiori

The square of "Campo dei Fiori" in Rome is famous for the episode that saw the philosopher Giordano Bruno burned on the rogo by the catholic Inquisition for the accusation of heresy on February 17th 1600 after Christ.The execution is nowadays remembered by a statue built in 1889 after Christ and placed at the centre of the "Campo dei Fiori" on the initiative of the poet Pietro Cossa and which is the work of the sculptor Ettore Ferrari.

The name of the place, which some people date back to the fact that one of the lovers of the Imperator Pompeo, Flora, would have lived in this area, is more likely to be attributed to the aspect of total abandon that the square, invaded by plants and flowers, had during the 15th century.

Nowadays "Campo dei Fiori", far away from the most famous tourist itineraries, represent one of the place where Rome shows with a greater transparency its most authentic character from the early morning with the open air market coloured by flowers.....

.....up to the deepest night with the entertaining offered by the bars, restaurants and "trattorie" of the area.

The criminology museum

Here we are again….did you miss me?!!!

Here in Rome are about the 7 pm and this evening our tv is going to programme my favourite telefilm…CSI, i nourish a real passion toward this kind of telefim and generally for all that is macabre, obscure, mysterious (see my post about the friars... ) for this reason, and inspired by the telefilm that is going to be on air, i decided tonight to lead you to the criminology museum of Rome…..

This exceptional place certainly does not deal with an attractive subject for all, but it offer a fascinating reconstruction of the history of crime that is always interesting!
So, bando alle chiacchiere (i think in English it sounds like…banish the prattle :-/ ), the museum has two different floor:

-the first floor has a section dedicated to the studies of criminal antropology, scientific police, history of prison and birth of judical mental hospital.

Other sections show to visitors various implements used to obtain confessions, as well as instruments of every type of torture or capital punishment. Note the pillary or stocks, the torture chair, the whipping block, the decapitation axe and the sword of justice with which Beatrice Cenci was beheaded in 1599.

-The second floor has a pretty interesting section of finds from Italian prisons from the 1930s to 1990s, evidence of perverse and criminal behaviour, objects belonged to Salvatore Giuliano, Gaspare Pisciotta, Gennaro Cuocolo’s ring and Pupetta Maresca’s guns.

If you think that could be interesting to you visit this obscure place probably you need the address, while if you find this post terrific probably you need a new post so….in the first case take note and in the second wait for my new posts!!!
Around Via Giulia in: Via del Gonfalone
Opening times: Tues-Sat 9am to 1pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2.30pm-6.30pm
Entry price 2 euro

Non un caffè ma il caffè!

A day spent wandering in the city can not ignore what the romans call the… pausa caffè! This is not a common and banal coffee break but a real rite that the Romans love to do, over and over again, during the day. For us, the coffee is no longer just a drink, but an art that reflects a way of life and for this reason has billions of variations… macchiato, corretto, ristretto, lungo, in tazza piccola o grande, al vetro, con la schiuma e senza.....

You have to know, before entering in a bar, that:
-Caffè macchiato: is a cup of coffee with a drop of cold milk
-Caffè corretto: is a cup of coffee with a drop of liquor (generally grappa)
-Caffè ristretto: strong coffee
-Caffè lungo: less strong
-Caffè al vetro: in a little glass cup (the experts say that the taste changes…)
-Caffè decaffeinato: without caffeine
-Caffè espresso: is the one made in the bar
-Caffè moka: is the one you made at home with our cofee machine

This is the right address, for your pausa caffè, when you are wondering near the Vatican:
Castroni via Cola di Rienzo 196 Roma Vatican

We like this place much because it not only offers a really good quality of caffee, but also has an excellent range of international and italian food products as pasta, tea, chocolates, pasta dressing….

A real pleasure... not only for the eyes!

The cannonball of the miracle

Chiesa di San Bartolomeo all'Isola -Isola Tiberina-

In the chapel of the church of Saint Bartholomew upon the Isle, there is a large (14cm diameter) cannonball lodged in the wall where it struck it during the siege of Rome of June 1849. When it hit the building it was full of people , who went miraculously untouched. The cannonball, known for this reason as "of the miracle" was left in the wall as a "memento" of the event.

Miraculous Rome!

Vecchia Roma

Yesterday Rome from Alinari

When you're in Rome don't miss the apointment with the photos in black & white of the ancient Rome at the art gallery of the Alinari Bros in Via Via Alibert, 16/A. Without a doubt i think this is the best way to get a present of the Eternal City!

Yesterday Rome from Alinari

The Alinari photographs are contact printed from the original glassplate negatives housed in the Historic Archive. This manual technique of reproduction is the same used during the 19th century. The prints are made in black and white or they can be sepia toned and they can be also mounted on wood. These faithful reproductions are printed on special photographic paper and manually created in order to offer a product that is of unique quality and prestige. Is also possible to buy on line but if you're in Rome spend time there.... is not a lost time!

Tempio di Vesta as it looks today